Editor,
The recent incidents at the Tomo Riba Institute of Health and Medical Sciences (TRIHMS) have raised disturbing questions. Within a single month, two precious lives were lost, reportedly due to medical negligence and ill-treatment. The public grief and outrage have been immense, but despite repeated calls for accountability, no concrete action has been taken by government agencies.
What patients and attendants have experienced at the TRIHMS is deeply troubling: Many doctors reportedly arrive late to the OPD, at around 10:30-11 am, and leave by 1 pm, while patients who have been waiting since early morning remain unattended. By noon, senior doctors disappear, leaving interns or junior staff to handle patients -reducing critical treatment to trial-and-error.
Also, it is a common story that patients are advised in OPD to visit doctors’ private clinics in the evening for ‘proper treatment and diagnosis’. This creates a two-tier system where poor patients are left with no choice but to pay extra to access the care they deserve within the TRIHMS itself.
TRIHMS, being the state’s premier health institute, should serve as a lifeline for the underprivileged. Instead, it has become a place where the poor suffer long waits, incomplete care, and frequent redirection to costly alternatives.
The Hippocratic Oath – the foundation of medical ethics – reminds every doctor: ‘Do no harm’. Nurses, too, are bound by codes that demand empathy, attentiveness, and dedication. When duty hours are neglected, and patient welfare is compromised for personal profit, it is not just an administrative failure, it is a moral betrayal.
Running a private clinic is not unethical in itself. But when private practice overshadows public duty, the essence of healthcare as a service to humanity is lost.
The recent negligence at the TRIHMS highlights the urgent need for reform by strict enforcement of duty hours and attendance; transparency in patient care and stronger monitoring systems; penalties for negligence and unethical practices; and active ethics committees to safeguard patients’ rights.
At the same time, it is also a moment for self-reflection within the medical fraternity. Doctors and nurses must recall why they chose this noble profession. They must recognize that their duty is not only to their profession but also to humanity itself.
Doctors and nurses carry the sacred responsibility of preserving life. Society looks up to them with reverence, calling them second gods. But with such honour comes the highest duty – to serve with integrity, compassion, and accountability.
The tragic incidents at the TRIHMS should serve as a wake-up call – not only for the government to enforce reforms but also for doctors and nurses to realign themselves with their true calling. Healing is not a business – it is a duty.
As the saying goes, a doctor is a second god. But gods must protect, not abandon.
General public